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YEN-FOH 

A CHINESE BOY 


ADAPTED FROM THE CHINESE BY ETHEL J. 

ELDRIDGE ILLUSTRATED BY KURT WIESE 
W 



JUNIOR PRESS BOOKS 

alberTXwitman 

&■" 4 co 

CHICAGO 

19 3 5 A 2 



/ 

COPYRIGHT, 1935, BY ALBERT WHITMAN & COMPANY 







Yen-foh Thinks Quickly 

Y EN-FOH and his playmates were having a jolly time 
romping about the grounds of Yen-foh’s home in faraway 
Peiping, the capital of China. 

The little Chinese boys, with their strange queues and narrow 
dark eyes, wore jackets with trousers that reached to their ankles. 
The small girls had smooth, straight black hair, and were dressed 
in plain-colored trousers and jackets with small designs of flowers. 

The group of children dashed here and there under the trees 
and out into the flashes of sunshine. They played all manner of 
games. One was like hide-and-seek, hiding behind bushes and 
trying very hard to keep quiet so that the one left to seek could 
not find them. 

It seemed that Yen-foh was never caught. But sometimes he 


5 





offered to be the hunter, and the other children were glad to give 
him a chance. Then he never failed to catch the rest. That was 
because Yen-foh was very observing. 

Yen-foh’s eyes were quick and bright and he saw everything 
that went on around him. He always used his mind. In China 
it is considered very important to use the mind. 

There were many huge jars with wide mouths, placed on the 
lawns near Yen-foh’s house. They were there to catch the precious 
rain water, and some of them were full almost to the top. 

The jars were quite big, larger than a child, and they made 
splendid places for the Chinese boys and girls to hide behind. 
Also the posts of the pergolas, which are in almost every Chi¬ 
nese garden, made fine shelters for hiding. 

Yen-foh had noticed that one of the smallest boys, named 
Kwang, always hid behind the jars. Twice Kwang had tried to 
peep into the top of one of the tall gray water jars. Yen-foh, 
being wise and using his mind, told Kwang he must not do this 




He stepped up to look over the top 





because he might pull over the jar of water on himself; then he 
would get wet, and perhaps be hurt. 

But Kwang was very venturesome, and would not listen to 
good advice. He had already found out that the jar was too 
heavy for him to move even a tiny bit. He searched about and 
discovered a thick piece of board. Then once, when it was his 
turn to hunt and the other children were hiding, Kwang used 
his board. He slanted it against the side of a jar and stepped up 
to look over the top. 

There was a splash! A scream! 

All the children came rushing to the spot. They found Kwang 
a prisoner in the water jar. He had fallen in with just enough 
room so that, by stretching his neck as far as he could, he man¬ 
aged to get his mouth and nose above the water to breathe. 

Kwang begged to be taken out, but there was no way. The 
opening of the jar was smaller than the lower part where Kwang 
now sat doubled up. It was a great deal easier to slip into the jar 
than it was to get out, Kwang thought, as he tried to straighten 
out his legs. 

He believed he was surely going to drown, and so did the 
other excited children. They gathered close to the jar, all talk¬ 
ing at once. 




Kwang crawled from the wreck 



Kwang began to cry and choke. Something must be done 
immediately. 

Yen-foh told the children to be quiet. He explained that he 
knew a way to release Kwang from his dangerous quarters. 
Yen-foh directed two of the boys to do just as he said. The 
two boys helped Yen-foh carry a large rock near the water 
jar. 

Yen-foh then explained to them that they must help him 
throw the stone. The three lifted and threw the heavy rock 
straight against the water jar. With a loud crash it broke into 
many pieces and the water ran out. 

Kwang, drenched and trembling, crawled from the wreck. Yen- 
foh wiped the younger boy’s face dry and hushed his sobs. 

Yen-foh ran with Kwang to the house. Yen-foh’s mother put 
some dry clothing on the little Chinese boy. 

Kwang's parents were 
so happy when they had 
their child safe at home 
that they could not thank 
Yen-foh enough for sav¬ 
ing their son from drown¬ 
ing. They said they felt 
safe when Kwang had a 
playmate who could use 
his mind, and knew what 
to do when quick thought 
was needed. 

They were quite sure 
that Kwang would never 
let his curiosity get the 
best of him again. Kwang 
and Yen-foh were sure of 
it too. 




Yen-foh Helps Yang-su 

Early one morning Yen-foh lay in his bed thinking. He had 
not slept very soundly during the night because he had a prob¬ 
lem on his mind. He wished very much that it was time to get 
up and put on his trousers and gay embroidered jacket which 
hung on the chair. 

But Yen-foh knew perfectly well that he was to lie in bed and 
rest until the great round yellow sun touched his window and 
sent a ray of brightness straight across his eyes. 

So on this particular morning, he sighed and turned his face 
to the window to watch for his special sunbeams. 

Yen-foh was a good student and worked hard. He always 
stood at the head of his class in the Chinese school, and generally 
won the prize. 

However, Yen-foh was not satisfied with doing well in 
school himself. He wanted Yang-su, his little friend, to have 
good marks too. This was what Yen-foh was puzzling about. 


11 


The day before, Yang-su had failed badly, and had not done 
what Yen-foh felt the younger boy was able to do. While wait¬ 
ing for the sun to rise, Yen-foh wondered what the trouble was, 
and decided that he would talk to Yang-su that day before school 
opened. 

Presently the sun sent its yellow signal across Yen-foh’s face, 
telling the Chinese boy he could now get up. Yen-foh sprang 
from the bed and into his clothes more quickly than he had ever 
done before, which is saying a great deal, for he always moved 
rapidly. 

Yen-foh used his chopsticks and ate his breakfast of rice as fast 
as possible, then rushed to school to find Yang-su. 

What was his surprise to learn that Yang-su had not come to 
school that day! His place remained vacant while Yen-foh, with 
questioning eyes, watched for him as the hours passed. 

It seemed a very long day to Yen-foh as he worried over 
Yang-su and the reason for his absence. He thought so much 
about it that Yen-foh did not recite his own lessons as well as 




usual. When the teacher dismissed them after classes were over, 
he walked home with lagging footsteps and a heavy heart. 

Yen-foh got permission from his mother to go to the home of 
Yang-su and find out whether or not he was sick. As soon as 
Yen-foh reached the house, Yang-su’s mother met him at the 
door and invited him in. 

She was fond of this young Chinese boy because he was thought¬ 
ful and used his mind. 

Yen-foh, with a low bow, asked to see Yang-su, and wanted to 
know why his friend's lessons had been bad, and why Yang-su 
had been absent from school. 

Yang-su’s mother explained that they were so very poor that 
they could not buy Yang-su paper and brushes with which to 
do his problems and other school studies. 

Yen-foh asked where he could find Yang-su. He thought he 
might persuade him to come to school again. 

Yang-su's mother pointed to the sea and showed Yen-foh 
where to look for her son down on the sandy beach. 

Yen-foh walked in that direction, his small feet making no 
sound. Long before he reached Yang-su, Yen-foh saw the younger 




boy seated on the ground doing something strange. Yen-foh 
stopped in astonishment. From a distance he could see that 
Yang-su held a stick in his hand. What could be going on? 

Yen-foh then ran across the beach to find out what Yang-su 
was doing. He looked over the busy boy’s shoulder and saw that 
his friend was making marks in the sand and that his school book 
was spread open before him. 

Yen-foh gave a loud exclamation of surprise. This startled 
Yang-su and he looked up with a bright smile. Yen-foh discov¬ 
ered that Yang-su was marking his problems in the sand with 
the aid of a sharp stick. 

Yen-foh felt sorry that Yang-su had to use a stick and sand 
instead of brush and paper, so he took the younger boy home 
with him. Yen-foh’s parents were wealthy and it was easy for 
Yen-foh to give Yang-su enough paper and brushes to last the 
entire school term. 

Yen-foh was happy once more when Yang-su never again had 
bad lessons, and was never absent after that time. 






Kwang was making marks in the sand 





Yen-foh and the Deer 

Yen-foh, the Chinese boy, sat on the floor in the great hall of 
his home and looked long and earnestly at the deerskin hanging on 
the wall. It was a handsome pelt and one that his grandfather 
had taken many, many years ago from a fawn, as a young deer 
is called. 

Yen-foh had been taught that it was cruel to kill the beautiful 
deer which loved so well to live. Whenever Yen-foh saw the deer¬ 
skin on the wall he felt that his grandfather had done a wrong 
thing. It always made him feel sad. 

However, that had happened very long ago. The skin was such 
a lovely smooth silky one, of a golden brown color, that now 
Yen-foh sat on the floor and dreamed stories of deer roaming the 
forests and coming to the pools to drink. Yen-foh himself had 
often seen them, but not for the world would he have harmed one. 

Twice every year the pelt was taken down from the wall and 
Yen-foh’s mother arranged that the highly prized relic was 
brushed and cleaned in the sun. When this happened, Yen-foh 
liked to run his hands lovingly over the glossy hair. Sometimes 




Twice every year the pelt was taken down and brushed 





he would pull it close about him and walk on his hands and feet, 
making a game of pretending to be a young deer himself. 

This special day when Yen-foh sat on the floor admiring the 
fawn skin, he had very serious thoughts. He almost wished he 
could really be a deer in order to help his father and mother. He 
longed for a way in which he could show his love for them. Yen- 
foh’s parents were dreadfully ill, and their eyes were getting so 
dim that it was feared they would both go blind. 

The doctor had said that only one thing could make them well 
and save their eyesight. They must have deer’s milk to drink to 






Yen-foh had searched in all the markets 







Yen-foh took a small bucket and slipped from the house 








make them strong and in which to bathe their eyes, so as to clear 
away the blindness. Of course it must be fresh every day. 

But there was no deer’s milk to be had. Yen-foh had searched 
in all the markets, and asked at every possible place, but none 
could be found. 

As the troubled, puzzled young boy sat on the floor and stared 
hard at the pelt he became drowsy and fell sound asleep. Yen-foh 




had a dream that seemed so true he awakened with a start. He had 
to rub his eyes several times, trying to realize where he was and 
that he had been only sleeping. 

Then Yen-foh sprang to his feet and looked out of the window. 
The blazing sun had drifted low in the sky and shot purple and 
gold sunset flame into the room. It was nearing dusk. 

Yen-foh suddenly knew what he would do, and understood 
why the dream had been sent to him. In a great hurry he pulled 
the deerskin down from the wall and rolled it up as small as he 
could so that he might carry it easily. Watching to see that no 
one noticed him, he took a small bucket and slipped quietly from 
the house. 

Yen-foh ran as fast as his legs could carry him to the edge of 
the forest not far from his home. He had never gone into the for¬ 
est alone before and darkness was near, but he was not frightened. 
Yen-foh knew that he must not be, because he had something im¬ 
portant to do that would take all his courage and skill. 


22 




Yen-foh slowly and carefully made his way on feet and hands 


WH 






He stood motionless near a pond behind a bush. Presently he 
heard a scampering in the underbrush, a snapping of twigs, and 
the soft fall of small feet. Very soon a herd of deer ran down to 
the pool to drink. 

Hastily pulling his deerskin over his body and head, Yen-foh 
slowly and carefully made his way on feet and hands, among 
them. He carried the little bucket in his mouth. 

Yen-foh had no trouble filling his bucket with milk from the 
mother deer who stood patiently. 

When his bucket would hold no more Yen-foh crept back be¬ 
hind the bush. He again rolled up the skin and, carrying the 
bucket cautiously to be sure that no precious drop would be 
spilled, he hastened home, a very happy Chinese lad. 

Yen-foh went at once to get a cup and hurried to the room 
where his parents lay sick. His heart was beating fast with joy and 
his eyes shining with pleasure when he told his father and mother 
what he had done. They praised him, and explained how proud 
they were to have a son who would do such a brave, thoughtful 
deed. 

There was plenty of milk in the bucket for each invalid to have 
a cupful, and enough left for them both to bathe their eyes. 

When the doctor came the next day he said that there was al¬ 
ready an improvement in Yen-foh’s parents because of the deer’s 
milk. 

Every evening just at dusk, when he could not be seen so plainly, 
the boy went for deer’s milk. He kept it up until his parents were 
strong and healthy again, and their eyes as clear and bright as ever. 

Always after that when the deerskin was hung on the wall, 
Yen-foh sat upon the floor and gazed at its beautiful silky 
smoothness. He remembered the dream that had told him what 
he and the deer could do to make his loved ones well and help to 
restore the eyesight of those finest and most honorable members of 
his family. 


24 



The doctor said that there was already an improvement 






Yen-foh Uses His Mind 


The day was bright and the sun was shining its brilliant yel¬ 
low, while the grass was wearing its greenest dress. The children 
felt they must play out-of-doors every minute they possibly could 
when not in school. 

Yen-foh and his little Chinese playmates did not waste an hour 
of spare time from daylight to dark, romping and shouting under 
the trees and the blue sky. 

Yen-foh had a new red rubber ball. It was just large enough 
to hold in his hand easily and throw long distances. When school 
was dismissed Yen-foh would run home quickly to study a while 
before going to play. 

He tried to do this every day. Yen-foh knew that if he started 
playing first it would be very, very hard to stop and go into the 




All Chinese children were expected to study hard 








house before dark arrived. By that time he would be so tired he 
could scarcely keep awake to prepare his lessons for the next day. 

Another thing Yen-foh knew. It was that the Chinese people 
— his own race — expected all Chinese children to study hard 
and learn their lessons so that they might become wise and cul¬ 
tured in many ways. To be a fine student was greatly to be 
desired. 


Yen-foh had always done this. He had liked to use his mind, 
and often had thought his way out of serious problems without 
depending upon his elders. 

However, since Yen-foh’s uncle had given him the grand red 
ball, it was almost impossible to sit still and work. 

He would hear the other children racing and calling. Even if 
he put the ball behind his back, he seemed to see it beckoning and 
coaxing to be taken out and tossed 
around. 


Late on a certain afternoon, 
Yen-foh had thrown his ball to 
Mencius who was playing a game 
with him. But the red rubber 
ball did not reach Mencius. In¬ 
stead it dropped down into a hol¬ 
low post which stood near by. It 
was not a tall post, but it was open 
inside all the way down. Yen- 
foh’s ball had dropped down the 
hole to the very bottom. 

Yen-foh and Mencius did not 
know what to do. The ball was 
gone where they could not reach 
it. The post was strongly planted 
and they could not push it over 
or pull it up. What to do and 
how to get the ball was the ques¬ 
tion. 




The little boy began to think hard. Whenever he did this 
usually something happened. It did this time. 

Yen-foh gave a sudden shout of joy and rushed to the house, 
for he knew now what to do. He came hurrying back carrying a 
bucket of water in one hand, and a gourd dipper in the other. 
Mencius watched Yen-foh closely, wondering what this smart 
boy was planning now. He was soon to find out. 

Yen-foh brought a box and stood on it so that he could easily 
reach the top of the post where his precious ball lay hidden. 
Using the dipper he filled the hollow post with water from the 
bucket. He poured and poured until the post was full and it 
brought the ball floating to the top. 

Yen-foh tossed it, all wet and shining, to Mencius who laughed 
with glee and threw it back again. Mencius told Yen-foh that it 
was a fine thing to think of a way to save the new toy. Then 
Yen-foh explained to his friend that if the ball had not been made 


29 






Yen-foh's ball had dropped down to the very bottom 




of rubber, it would never have floated to the top where he could 
reach it. 

Yen-foh took his red ball back into the house with him and 
put it out of sight, in order to keep his thoughts on his lessons. 
However, each day it was a temptation to him, and it seemed that 
he simply must play outside with it as long as there was light 
enough to see. 

This made it more and more of an effort to keep awake in the 
evening when his lessons were to be prepared. Yen-foh’s head 
would nod and nod over his books. His chin would drop lower 
and lower, and his eyes would close despite all he could do. 


I 

? 





The sleepy boy found he must either give up part of his play 
with his ball or manage in some way not to go to sleep over the 
highly important matter of his school work. Here was another 
puzzle to be met and conquered. As usual Yen-foh found an 
answer. 

Finding a long cord, Yen-foh tied one end to a beam in the 
ceiling directly over the chair where he sat to do his studying. 
The other end of the cord he tied to his queue. In this way when 
Yen-foh’s head would nod and his chin drop toward his chest, the 
cord would give a gentle pull. Up would come the drooping head, 
the drooping eyelids would fly open, and Yen-foh would be wide 
awake. 

Yen-foh felt the string had been a great help toward his edu¬ 
cation in those days when he owned the rubber ball. 

When Yen-foh grew older his fame went abroad as being kind 
of heart, a great student, and a man who used his mind in solving 
hard problems. People came from far and near to consult with 
him, and he became a power in the land of China. 










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